PC Gamer UK: Assassin's Creed Review

PC Gamer UK writes: "There are times when Assassin's Creed feels like the future of videogames. It plays with heavy ideas and spectacular technology. It flits between questions on the nature of reality, and slapstick ragdoll animations of medieval goons plummeting to their death. Yet there are also times when it feels like a huffing anachronism: a failure where the writing overrides play, and the rigorous structure overrides the player's instinct to explore and experiment. A game in which the high concept actively prevents you from grasping the fun. For its unparalleled highs, Assassin's deserves praise and more: it deserves to be played. For the times when it falls flat on its face, Assassin's should be pointed and laughed at. And perhaps poked with a stick.

The high concept, then: you are Altair, an assassin stalking medieval Jerusalem, Acre and Damascus, knocking off high-profile leaders from both Richard the Lionheart's and Saladin's Middle Eastern campaigns. Each target must first be traced, enquiries made, and witnesses interrogated, before the hit takes place. Some will be quietly knocked off: a slip of a dagger into an exposed back. Some will be messily slaughtered, after thrilling chases through cramped streets. Success comes from the willingness to adapt, and to utilize your surroundings. Altair is exceptionally nimble, able to clamber over the skyline, race up vertical walls, and blend into milling crowds."